A blog about nutrition, fitness, and goal setting strategies to help you live your happiest, most fulfilled life.

For Your Listening Pleasure: 13 Podcasts to Inform and Inspire

Hello there!

As you’ve likely noticed, the blog has finally had its makeover that I’ve been talking about for the last couple of months! This has been a really big project and I’m so incredibly thankful to know an awesome, super-clever developer who is the brains behind the entire thing. If you happen to still be seeing the old site, the new version should be visible to you shortly. I’m told that sometimes there’s a delay, so keep calm and hit the refresh button. 😉

Here’s a quick run down of the new features:

Eat Spin Run Repeat is now mobile-friendly! Check it out by opening it up on your phone and you’ll notice a significantly improved process in comparison to the old version.

A floating search bar is located at the top of the screen to make it easier for you to find what you’re looking for.

Some of the most popular posts and recipes can be found in the sidebar.

You’ll find a new subscription form to sign up for Eat Spin Run Repeat via email in the footer (as well as the usual button in the sidebar).

Site speed is faster. I’ve changed my hosting location so you should find that pages are quicker to load.

A karma jar in the sidebar. If you’re a long time reader and feel you’ve benefitted from the content on Eat Spin Run Repeat, I’d love for you to make a donation to help me keep the site up and running.

The tabs at the top for Food and Workouts will show you all posts categorized as food and workout-related respectively. The Recipes tab will still function as it did before, where you can search for recipes by course, ingredient, dietary requirement, etc.

I’ve moved all the details for my health coaching services onto the Coaching tab.

We’re still in the process of fixing a few issues, and I’d really appreciate your feedback. If you happen to notice anything funky going on, please let me know so that we can take a look.

And with that, let’s get on to today’s topic…

One of the questions I’m asked often is where I find inspiration to maintain a healthy lifestyle, run a business on the side, and stay motivated in general. I should preface this by saying that I’m not always buzzing with optimal levels of motivation and energy, but there are a number of resources in my ‘inspiration box’, and one of the most powerful is podcasts.

A while back I promised to share a list of the shows I listen to regularly, and have tried to break them down into categories. Keep in mind though, that most overlap and fall into a “how to make your life more awesome” category. With that said, I hope you find inspiration in them too! All are available on iTunes, or click the links below to read more about each podcast.

On Self Actualization and Living with Intention

Lewis is a former pro football player and current member of the US Men’s National Team for the Olympic sport Team Handball, but he’s about so much more than just that. Lewis is an incredibly successful lifestyle entrepreneur who was named among the Top 100 Entrepreneurs under 30 in the US, and on The School of Greatness he interviews some of the most inspiring people in business, health and fitness.

Rich is an exceptionally talented guy. In case you’ve not heard of him yet, he went from being a lawyer struggling with addiction to an Ironman and Ultraman athlete, and is now very well known in the mind/body/fitness space. He’s an advocate of a plant-based diet, a husband, a father, and entrepreneur. He interviews a wide range of incredibly inspiring guests including professional athletes, doctors and medical professionals, activists, and people just like you and me who have transformed themselves by adopting healthier lifestyles.

Michael is the former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and is now an incredibly successful and widely known entrepreneur. He’s also a talented speaker, influential online marketer, and author. His podcast, This is Your Life focuses on intentional leadership and living with purpose. Don’t worry – you don’t need to be a C-level leader to benefit from this one (I’m certainly far from it and have still learned tons!) Michael covers topics including strategies for building a business and expanding your platform, productivity tips, how to do more of what you love, how to find your calling, how to be a better conversationalist, and how to find a mentor.

The Lively Show is a newer one in comparison to the 3 above, but the weekend I discovered it, I listened to every single previous episode. Jess has been an entrepreneur since she started her jewelry business at the age of 15. Since then, she’s let go of that part of her life, started a wildly successful blog, and now provides expert coaching men and women who want to live and run their businesses with intention. On The Lively Show, she interviews successful bloggers, business owners, authors, designers, and her very own husband (which was one of my favourite episodes). I think bloggers in particular will really like this podcast!

On Fitness, Endurance Sports, Triathlon and Running

Not surprisingly, a podcast about endurance sports. Subject matter tends to be mostly focused on ultra running and triathlons (hence my desire to get into duathlons this year and my aspiration of becoming a triathlete next year), but is also very relevant to half and full marathoners, and anyone looking to work up to endurance events. Tawnee (a coach and triathlete) does an amazing job at curating listener questions and answering them with the help of co-hosts and special guests including Tim “Lucho” Waggoner, Ben Greenfield, Dr. David Minkoff, Matt Fitzgerald, Phil Maffetone, and many more.

I’ve mentioned Ben’s podcast a few times before, and depending on your level of tolerance for geekery when it comes to wellness and biohacking, you will either love it or think it’s a little too over the edge. I’m in the former camp, and find a lot of the information useful for my own n=1 fitness/nutrition experiments. Ben is a former bodybuilder, an Ironman triathlete, coach, author, motivational speaker and entrepreneur and his past guests have included thought leaders in all areas of wellness and biohacking.

This podcast is about all things Ironman! Not only is the content great, but so are the Kiwi accents of these two lovely lads who chat back and forth about triathlon news, that’s going on in triathlon technology, and trends in the sport. They’ve interviewed heaps of pros including Hillary Biscay (one of my faves), Rachel Joyce, Pete Jacobs, Meredith Kesler, Chris ‘Macca’ MacCormick, and Mirinda Carfrae. Other guests include pro coaches and doctors.

Abel is a prime example of someone who proved that the advice of medical professionals isn’t always the best thing for us. You can read about his story here, but the abbreviated version is that he transitioned from a doctor-recommended diet and lifestyle that was making him sick to one that is now allowing him to crush it in business, health, and life! He doesn’t claim to be a guru, but rather someone who has done a lot of first-hand learning and wants to help others optimize their lives. He’s an amazing interviewer with a wide range of guests including authors, doctors, naturopaths, musicians, FDA special agents, and ordinary people. Abel is relatable, real, and I love his curiosity and passion for sharing what he knows with his audience.

Along with the other biohacking enthusiasts out there, Dave seems to be the chief biohacker of them all in my mind. If you’ve heard of Bulletproof Coffee, this is the man that invented it. He’s a Silicon Valley investor and tech entrepreneur, and has invested a pretty enormous amount of time and money in biohacking his body. He’s lost over 100lbs, boosted is IQ, and has learned all sorts of tricks for becoming a better person in every aspect of life. By ‘Bulletproof’, he’s talking about achieving a high-functioning, optimal state of performance where we have control of our biochemistry, bodies and minds. If you really like to geek out, you’ll be totally into this one. If you’re only mildly geeky, you’ll still learn some interesting tidbits that you can apply to get more out of your day to day.

I’ll start off by saying that this one is pretty unique in format compared to the rest. Brett is a USAT certified triathlon coach, ultra endurance athlete, the first Texan to swim across Lake Tahoe (22 miles), a husband to Zen Tri Nurse, and the dad of his budding triathlete son, Kai. Episodes range from 2.5-3.5 hours in length (yes, they’re LONG!) but Brett delivers a lot of really great coaching information that he’s learned first-hand in an extremely casual way. (So casual that occasionally he’ll podcast while eating. This seems to annoy some listeners but I’m ok with it – given the amount of training he does, the dude has to eat a lot!)

Most episodes include a recap of recent triathlon news, a training log during which Brett takes you along with him on his workouts, reader Q&A, and occasionally an interview with a guest. You also learn a lot about his family and how he balances being a dad, husband, coach, and triathlete. Oh, and he has a full time job too! If his jokes don’t make you laugh, his Texan-isms will!

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The remaining podcasts are an abbreviated list of shows I enjoy related to business, branding, marketing, and social media, all of which are relevant to my full time job. They may sound as interesting as watching paint dry to some of you, but I wanted to throw them in because I know a handful of readers are in a similar line of work.

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On Entrepreneurship

I’m not sure who coined the term ‘passive income’ but when I hear it, I always think of Pat. He’s a wildly successful entrepreneur who started out as an architect, only be laid off thanks to the economic downturn. He switched gears and started his firstonline business, and this turned out to be one of many extremely profitable and successful ventures. He started the Smart Passive Income Blog in order to be as transparent as possible with his strategies and income, in the hopes that others could learn and benefit too. Pat interviews tons of successful entrepreneurs (some full time, some part-time), talking about their successes, failures, how they got started, and advice for those aspiring to follow a similar path. I’ve never met the man but his voice, the way he talks about his family, the way he constantly thanks his listeners, and the care that he puts into helping people keeps me coming back for more every week.

On Social Media

This podcast is a production of Social Media Examiner, one of my go-to sites for all things related to social media strategy, news, and tips. In a typical episode, Michael shares a new tool (because social media nerds like myself LOVE tools!) and interviews an industry expert. Topics covered include how to measure social media activities, building relationships with bloggers, what marketers need to know about each of the social platforms, and how to build an audience. One of my favourite recent episodes was Mike’s interview with Chalene Johnson (yes, the Beachbody fitness video queen that you may have TurboFired or TurboJammed it up with!) about how to grow a loyal following on Instagram. Chalene is KILLING it on Instagram and if you’re looking for tips, she spills the beans in this episode.

When I think Facebook marketing, I think Amy. She’s got a really interesting background (including some time spent in the role of Director of Content Development working for Tony Robbins!) and is now a Social Media Consultant with a crazy good knack for Facebook marketing. As you may have gathered from her podcast’s title, Amy provides easy, really useful advice and easy-to-follow steps for marketers looking to maximize Facebook’s potential for their businesses. Episodes vary between interviews with other social media gurus and ones where she shares her own knowledge.

Alright, that’s more than enough from me. Now I want to know…

What kind of podcasts do YOU listen to? Any great recommendations?

If you were on a super long car ride or flight, what would be your listening material of choice? Music? Audiobooks? Podcasts? Silence?

Angela Simpson

My name is Angela and I've got a fiery passion for turning fresh, healthy ingredients into delicious mouth-watering meals. I love veggies, seafood, avocados, and exploring all things wellness in Los Angeles, the city I'm now proud to call home.

Really love the new look! It looks so sophisticated!
I never really listen to podcasts because they don’t engage me that much….I will try the ones you are sharing with us…I think they are great for long walks!
For car rides I am all about music and crazy dance moves. Ha!

Thanks so much Elsie! One of the reasons I love these podcasts so much is that I can listen to them while I do other things – cooking, driving, cleaning the house, etc. With anything else like reading, watching videos etc, you need to pay more attention whereas with podcasts, you can be super productive while learning at the same time. On the subject of car rides, I think you’d be a fun person to travel with! 🙂

Yay!! Site finally works for me. Love the colours. It looks a lot cleaner too. Nice work!
I don’t think I’ve EVER listened to a podcast. I don’t listen to anything, really. Not even music anymore. My head has really been liking quiet time, apparently! 😉

Quiet time is good – and to be honest I think lots of us would benefit from more of it. You and I are on the same page when it comes to running outside media-free…. especially along the Sea Wall where the scenery is more than enough to keep me amused! 😉 PS Is it Saturday yet? I’m excited to see your friendly face!

Isn’t he amazing? Love his podcast and I agree with you – his story is truly inspiring. I think you’d also really like The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes. A bit of a different vibe compared to Rich, but he’s also an amazing interviewer!

Wow, thanks for the comment Mike! And it’s a pleasure. Yours was one of the first podcasts I found, and I also just listened to your interview on Chalene Johnson’s podcast. (I just discovered hers yesterday and would have totally included it in this roundup had I known about it prior.) Keep up the amazing work!

Love the new look! Fantastic! and love the topic of this post, I am SERIOUS podcast nerd (we even went to the LA Podcast Festival last year)… I listen more for entertainment and love comedy and comedians. Podcasts are my main source of media and have binge listened SO many. My tops that I think you and your readers would like are: RadioLab from WNYC/NPR (sociology-sciencey), Who Charted, The JV Club with Janet Varney, Emerging Women: Grace and Fire

WHAT?! There’s a podcast festival? This sounds fantastic! I’m thrilled that I’m not the only podcast nerd and that someone else enjoys geeking out on them as much as I do. I’ll be checking out all the ones you mentioned, and already have a feeling Who Charted will be hilarious. 😉 Thanks so much!

The new blog looks great! Thanks for sharing all these podcasts; I can’t wait to go home and get downloading! I’m pretty stoked to find out Rich Roll has a podcast; I’m familiar with his story and find him really inspiring.

I listen to a lot of podcasts similar to these ones you’ve mentioned. I tend to listen more to the business and marketing-type ones, since that’s where I lack the most knowledge! A few of my favs are Internet Business Mastery, The Lede, and the Strength Coach.

Thanks Ariana! The Rich Roll Podcast was one of the first additions to my list of downloads. The episodes are long but he asks such great questions and just has a really friendly voice. I’m a fan! I’ll check out the ones you mentioned too. I love having endless sources of inspiration!

Thanks for the podcast posts! I’m training for a half and have been searching for some good podcasts to check out. Also included this post in a round up of some of my favorite fitness links this week too!

LOVE this Angela (just had a chance to see it now). I’ve been trying to figure out a way to fit in more inspirational content into my day, and listening to a podcast on my way home seems like the perfect way to do it. I can’t wait to try some of these out!

I’m so glad you found the roundup helpful, Sarah! I think you’ll really enjoy these, especially the Rich Roll podcast because he often talks about how he and his wife have raised their children on plant-based diets. Let me know what you think once you’ve had a chance to listen! 🙂

hello!,I like your writing so a lot! share we keep up a correspondence more about your article on AOL?
I need a specialist in this space to resolve my problem.
May be that’s you! Looking ahead to see you.

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welcome!

I’m Angela, and I’m so glad you stopped by! If you’re looking for healthy, delicious food, heart-pumping workouts, and inspiration for all things holistic wellness, you’re in the right spot. Have a look around, or learn more about me here.